Field of the Invention
The present application generally relates to display control and, more particularly, to a display control apparatus that controls a display of a display device, a display control method, and a storage medium storing a program.
Description of the Related Art
A graphical user interface (GUI) has been employed in various devices, such as a personal computer (PC) and a mobile phone. Here, unlike a character-based user interface (CUI) that is a user interface offering input/output operation using characters, the GUI is a user interface offering intuitive operation using computer graphics and a pointing device. The GUI is composed of GUI components, such as an icon and a button. A custom component is among the GUI components described herein. An example of a GUI component is a component, such as a button component, on which a character string may be displayed.
In the GUI, a technique is known in which a functional description of a user interface (hereinafter referred to as a UI) is displayed to a user by using a tooltip (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-66077). When the user points a cursor or pointer at an object, that is, superimposes the cursor or pointer on the object (hereinafter “to superimpose the cursor or pointer on the object” is also referred to as “to hover the cursor or pointer over the object”), the tooltip displays text, such as a functional description of the object, to the user. Use of the tooltip enables, specifically, a box to appear so as to cover the object and a detailed description to be displayed within the box. In the above configuration, when the user clicks the object, the function of the object is executed.
In a touch panel display equipped with a touch sensor on an entire screen, when the user directly touches an object on the display with part of a human body, such as a finger, or an instrument, such as a stylus pen, in place of a cursor or pointer, a predetermined function is executed.
However, in such a touch panel display, although a touch on the object (which corresponds to a click on the object) may be recognized, because a state corresponding to a hover state may not be able to be recognized, a process assigned to the object is executed upon touching the object.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-66077 discloses a method for generating a dedicated GUI screen for displaying a tooltip. However, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-66077, a guide key has to be prepared in order to generate the dedicated GUI screen. Complicated operation is also required in which the guide key is operated and then a GUI component on the dedicated GUI screen is operated.
As an operation method in which a hover state is simulated with a touch operation, a method of displacing an area with a finger or stylus pen touching the area is known; however, this method has a problem in that a tooltip may be concealed by the finger or stylus pen with which a touch operation is performed.